Abstract

AVILES-TORRES, Silvia; SCHMITTER-SOTO, Juan Jacobo  and  BARRIENTOS-MEDINA, Roberto C.. Spatial patterns and species richness of fishes in coastal lagoons of Southern of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2001, vol.11, n.2, pp.141-148. ISSN 0188-8897.

Thirty nine fish species are recorded in eight lagoons on the southern coast of Quintana Roo. "Cichlasoma" urophthalmus, Gambusia yucatana, Poecilia orri and Eugerres plumieri were the most widely distributed species. Cluster analysis on the lagoons, based on presence-absence of the fishes, generated a dendrogram where two lagoon complexes are identifiable, divided by the access road to Mahahual. The northern complex (Uvero, Placer, San Humberto and San Antonio) is characterized by the presence of Astyanax aeneus, "C." and Thorichthys meeki. The southern complex (Río Huach, Xcalak, Cementerio and La Aguada) is characterized by Cyprinodon artifrons, Floridichthys polyommus, Eucinostomus argenteus, E. jonesi and Gerres cinereus. Both beta and gamma diversity show an increase from north to south, a fact explained mainly by the larger number of peripheral species migrating from the adjacent reef through permanent mangrove channels to the Caribbean Sea in lagoons Río Huach and Xcalak, in the southern complex, as well as the absence of primary species in these lagoons.

Keywords : Coastal lagoon; fishes; richness; beta- and gamma-diversity; cluster analysis; Quintana Roo; Caribbean Sea.